For many Australian wine lovers and collectors, it's one of the best times of the year - the new Penfolds annual release! The core vintage on offer today is the dry, warm and low-yielding 2020 vintage, offering deep concentration and delicious, rich flavours. There are no weak links in what is one of the strongest ever lineups from Penfolds, including the 100-point Grange from the epic 2018 vintage!
What's more, we'll have a number of these wines on tasting this Saturday (6th August), so come in anytime from 11am to 1pm! We look forward to seeing you in the shop on what promises to be a memorable tasting!
2021 Bin 311 Chardonnay - $49 per bottle ; $56 RRP
"The Bin 311 Chardonnay is a multi-regional blend—all cool areas—and over time, the style has evolved from staunchly no new oak, to now a proportion of new oak (in 2021, 38%). The 2021 Bin 311 Chardonnay is toasty and creamy—a confluence of crushed cashew, pink grapefruit, yellow peach, red apple skins and apricot kernel. This is balanced and complete, a wine resplendent with polished phenolics, bright fruit and texture that starts from the very first and lingers through the long finish. Excellent." - 93 Points, Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate
95 Points - Andrew Caillard MW //
18.5 / 20 - Matthew Jukes //
2021 Bin 23 Tasmania Pinot Noir - $49 per bottle ; $56 RRP
***Not on tasting***
We leave the mainland now for an exploration of cool-climate Tasmania and what that can bring to the pinot noir variety, a lovely counterpoint to the shiraz-dominated Penfolds collection. It’s a bit tricky to nail down the exact district/s this wine comes from, though there are clues to it being just south-east of Launceston. No mystery to its variety however, as it’s clearly pinot from a set of red fruit and blue floral aromatic notes. Smash strawberry, raspberry and violet petals together and you get the drift, while some earth and gravels add a terroir grounding. A wine with lively acidity and balanced structures, full of energy and a genuine varietal/source intrigue that pinot noir offers when at its best." - 96 Points, Tony Love, WinePilot
94 Points - Andrew Caillard MW //
95 Points - Jeni Port, WinePilot //
2020 Bin 28 Shiraz - $49 per bottle ; $56 RRP
"The Barossa has the ability to convey a sense of place, dirt and air in the glass. The trick is to not get in the way—a cooper does not terroir make. Despite not being the dominant region in this blend (for specificity: McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Padthaway and Clare Valley), the Barossa makes a potent contribution. Here, in the 2020 Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz, the concentrated, dry and warm vintage is on show and provides a splay of earthy, dense fruit, stretched over a framework of savory tannin. Despite Penfolds's reputation for big tannins/big oak, the fruit here overpowers both and streams out over the long finish. The heart of Barossa is here. Very good. Will get better." - 94+ Points, Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate
95 Points - Andrew Caillard MW //
95 Points - Huon Hooke //
2020 Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz - $59 per bottle ; $68 RRP
***Not on tasting***
"A shiraz that always offers a comparative opportunity within the Penfolds portfolio, this time solely derived from the cooler climate Coonawarra region in South Australia’s south-eastern corner. The result is a more crimson-coloured fruit and berry profile, rather than blacker fruits. Importantly, this comes hand in hand with a good smatter of white pepper that confirms its cool climate credentials. Deftly crafted, this is a compact and neatly concentrated wine without excessive extraction, its bouquet suggesting old-fashioned butcher shops, lamb and sawdust, yet never denying its core vibrant shiraz fruit, tickled with garden herbs and finishing with mouth-coating, dusty talc-like tannins. A wine that desires a rich lamb dish." - 94 Points, Tony Love, WinePilot
95 Points - Jeni Port, WinePilot //
95 Points - David Sly, Decanter //
2020 Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz - $96 per bottle ; $109 RRP
The Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz has always been a dense, concentrated and muscly wine. Then imagine the overlay of a warm and dry vintage (for some context—26 days in a row over 35 degrees Celsius), the second in a string of warm, dry vintages. Yields were drastically down, up to 70% in some places, and the power of the reds in particular are a force to be reckoned with. So here, to 2020 Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz: savory, spicy tannins form a casing around the fruit, the oak supporting from the back. There are notes of dark blackberry, blood plum, Nag Champa (clove tobacco), pink peppercorns and saturated fruit. There's a side of deli meat in there, too. If you can put aside the density and weight of the wine (impressive), the fruit is pure and beautiful. 2020 may have been responsible for brooding and concentrated wines, but I have found much to love in this year. This included. Sensational." - 96 Points, Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate
98 Points - Andrew Caillard MW //
18.5+ / 20 - Matthew Jukes //
2020 Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz - $96 per bottle ; $109 RRP
"Over the years this wine has been referenced as “Baby Grange” because it is matured in the same barrels that held the previous vintage’s Grange. The makeup of the wine is however totally different, in this outing a 51% cabernet sauvignon/ 49% shiraz blend. As such it perhaps is the most quintessential of all Penfolds’ South Australian reds. There certainly is plenty of magic in the wine, with cabernet leading the first sensory impressions while more robust, savoury shiraz sits under cover of darkness. The fruit profile is dark cherry and black forest cake, then later suggestions of roasted root vegetables rise to speak their piece. Palate structures are well knitted and solid, and already there are early signs of maturity. It’s a big wine now with plenty to look forward to in the decades to come." - 97 Points, Tony Love, WinePilot
97 Points - Andrew Caillard MW //
19+ / 20 - Matthew Jukes //
2020 Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon - $105 per bottle ; $119 RRP
"As with the St Henri shiraz, with five regions in play here this is all about varietal expression, measured by a mix of warmer to cooler districts. That allows a broad brush of characters to show themselves here in the immediate cabernet aromas and flavours of cassis, dark berries and fruits of the forest that then get a lovely little tickle of mint derived no doubt from the cooler sources in the Limestone Coast zone. Fifteen months in a mix of French and American oak, a minority new, have offered another layer as well, along the lines of cedar and dark chocolate. There’s lots to love here, from the vibrant cabernet fruit profile to the succulent and expressive tannins that are juicy yet supportive, the palate even and beautifully balanced in its final hurrahs." - 96 Points, Tony Love, WinePilot
96 Points - Jeni Port, WinePilot //
18.5 + / 20 - Matthew Jukes //
2019 St Henri Shiraz - $125 per bottle ; $139 RRP
"The St Henri Shiraz is often one of my favorite reds in the Penfolds Collection, due to the ability of the fruit to shine through the fine sheath of oak that encases it. At this stage, and I know you will hear this often, the wine still represents good value. The 2019 St Henri Shiraz is elegantly structured, with the 2019 vintage showing the warmth and intensity without overstepping balance or line. Texturally, this will only increase in its silky shape, which comes with the gentle suggestion to decant this if you insist on drinking it within five years from harvest (i.e., anytime from now to 2024). This 2019 is shaped by abundant red and purple fruit (and a splash of blue), charry spice and fine tannins. Gorgeous." - 96+ Points, Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate
97 Points - Huon Hooke //
97 Points - Nick Stock, JamesSuckling.com //
19+ / 20 - Matthew Jukes //
2020 Yattarna Chardonnay - $169 per bottle ; $195 RRP
"The 2020 Yattarna Chardonnay is an exercise in floral restraint, streamlined power and palate-staining intensity of flavor. The wine undulates over the mouth and through the long and lingering finish. Yattarna is routinely a sophisticated expression of Chardonnay—one of Australia's finest—and the 2020 season is the perfect backdrop for the wine. If you headed into this wine expecting a big, powerful, obvious wine, you would be sorely mistaken. The power is coiled within the folds of phenolics and volumes of fruit in the mouth. Sixty-eight percent of the wine is sourced from Tasmania, the balance from Adelaide Hills; the clonal selection is largely Bernard clones 95 and 96. It is scintillating and composed, elegant and poised, but so seductively concentrated that it sort of forces you to sit back and contemplate it. At 12.5% alcohol, it is weightless; the power undeniable." - 98 Points, Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate
99 Points - Andrew Caillard MW //
2020 RWT Shiraz - $183 per bottle ; $209 RRP
"The 2020 RWT Shiraz Bin 798 is a powerhouse of bloody fruit and firm tannin. It veritably explodes from the blocks, showing plum skin, raspberry leaf, blackberry, mulberry, lashings of salted licorice and rendered lamb fat. I am coming to love (in a big and serious way) the Barossa Shiraz' bottlings from 2020—the year was significantly down in yields, warm and dry, and responsible for wines of muscle, density and gravitas. So, too, for this wine. Excellent." - 98 Points, Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate
98 Points - Nick Stock, JamesSuckling.com //
19.5+ / 20 - Matthew Jukes //
2018 Bin 169 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon - $369 per bottle ; $420 RRP
***Not on tasting***
"In effect, this is to Bin 707 as RWT is to Grange, a single-region expression of a classic regional variety, aged in 100% French oak. Would that it were priced similarly to RWT, but production is more limited, and the Chinese have seemingly fallen in love in Cabernet. The 2018 Bin 169 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon (there was no 2017 bottled) boasts sumptuous aromas of ripe cassis, accented by hints of vanilla, cedar shavings, tobacco and baking spices. It's full-bodied, plush and velvety, but with a firm spine at its core that drives home the lengthy finish and strong varietal identity. Ideally, it needs a few years in the cellar to show its best, with potential longevity of two decades or more." - 96 Point, Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate
2019 Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon - $595 per bottle ; $695 RRP
***Not on tasting***
"Deep, saturated ruby. Displays expansive aromas of dark berry liqueur, cherry-cola, cured tobacco, cedary oak and mocha, along with licorice and floral topnotes. Chewy, broad and appealingly sweet, offering blackcurrant, bitter cherry, coconut and savory herb flavors that show outstanding depth and energy. The cherry and floral notes resonate on a wonderfully long, youthfully taut and penetrating finish that features mounting tannins and repeating dark fruit and tobacco character. Made in all new American oak." - 96 Points, Josh Raynolds, Vinous
2018 Grange - $895 per bottle ; $980 RRP
***Not on tasting***
"This wine comes with high expectations—as does the vintage. The 2018 vintage across South Australia (and cheekily, we could probably extend the accolade to all of Australia) was excellent. It was warm, but without incident, and responsible for powerfully ripe, serious wines. Many producers made some of their best wines in this vintage. So here, to the 2018 Grange: there is spiced raspberry, lashings of salted licorice, red curry paste, layers of forest berries, rendered lamb fat and crushed pink peppercorns to start. In the mouth, the tannins close around the fruit with the same polish and seamlessness as the 2008, possibly the 2004? Very different vintages, but there is a textural similarity for me. This is polished and glossy and so very pretty. It contains 3% Cabernet Sauvignon this year, and 69% Barossa, 18% McLaren Vale and the balance from Clare Valley. Each of the regions brings with it its own characteristics. Barossa brings the red dirt, blood, deli meat and rust. McLaren Vale brings the plush purple fruits with a side of meat and licorice. Clare brings the polish, the opulence and the velvet texture. With their powers combined, this is an extraordinary Grange. One of the true greats, which will only get better as it ages." - 99 Points, Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate
100 Points - Andrew Caillard MW //
100 Points - Lisa Perrotti-Brown //
100 Points - Nick Stock, JamesSuckling.com
2016 Grange MAGNUM - $1,895 per bottle ; $2,175 RRP
***Not on tasting***
"The 2016 Grange includes 3% Cabernet Sauvignon and was sourced from Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Clare Valley, with a little bit from Magill Estate, in the suburbs of Adelaide. Aged in 100% new American oak (as always), it offers up trademark lifted aromas plus scents of vanilla, toasted coconut, cedar, raspberries and blackberries. Impressively concentrated and full-bodied, with an extraordinarily long, velvety finish, it's nevertheless reasonably fresh and tight, with decades of cellaring potential if properly stored. Certainly at least on a par with such vintages as 2010 and 2012." - 99 Points, Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate
To purchase any of the wines in today's newsletter please use the links above, phone us on (07) 3252 1117, or email us at sales@thewineemporium.com.au - Prices valid until stock runs out or until the 11th of August 2022.